Sand is everywhere, yet we may be running out of it

26 Aug 2018


Barron

What do concrete buildings, windows and your smartphone have in common? Sand — the stuff our modern cities are made out of, says Vince Beiser, author of "The World in a Grain: The Story of Sand and How It Transformed Civilization."

"The thing that basically every apartment block, office building and shopping mall in the world is made out of, concrete, is nothing but sand and gravel glued together with cement," he said.

We use more sand than any other natural resource on earth, except for water and air, Beiser said. At close to 50 billion tons every year worldwide, it’s enough to cover the entire state of California.

Continue to full article